Last Monday, wrestling legend and childhood hero of mine The Ultimate Warrior (James Hellwig) passed away. It was a scenario of oddly impeccable timing. The Warrior had not had any contact with the WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment) for over 20 years. During this time he had plenty of nasty things to say about the business and the people in it. Most fans never expected to see him again. To their gleeful surprise a month or so ago, it was announced he would be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. Last Saturday was the ceremony and fans got a chance to see their hero once more. His acceptance speech was somewhat weird but that was to be expected – as Michael Cole would say it was “vintage Warrior.” The next night he appeared at Wrestlemania XXX and was given a standing ovation. Next up was an appearance on the wrestling television show Monday Night Raw. It was here that he was given a segment to speak to his fans not as James Hellwig as he did on Saturday, but as The Ultimate Warrior. The next day he died. For many years there were prevalent rumors that he was dead. He left the company in 1991 after a dispute with CEO Vince McMahon over money. When he returned a year later he was noticeably smaller, had a haircut, and wore different apparel. A rival wrestling promotion at the time called WCW began employing a character named The Renegade which was basically an imposter Warrior. The Renegade showed wrestling fans how easy it would be to impersonate a jacked-up dude who wears face paint, and fans also took it as a veiled jab at the WWE – essentially questioning the authenticity of the WWE’s seemingly new warrior. Combine his different look and The Renegade with the incredible dearth of wrestlers who died young, and you have yourself a solid rumor. But The Warrior wasn’t dead. The Warrior that feuded with Hollywood Hulk Hogan in WCW years later was the same James Hellwig. The fact that a man rumored dead for 20 years emerges and immediately dies is chillingly sad to a fan like me. The only thing more eerie than his life were the circumstances of his death. The only thing more eerie than his death was how he seemingly eulogized himself the day before he died. In his speech on Monday he said:
“Every man’s heart one day beats its final beat, his lungs breath their final breath. And if what that man did in his life makes the blood pulse through the body of others, makes them bleed deeper, then something larger than life…his essence, his spirit, will be immortalized by the storytellers, by the loyalty, by the memory of those who honor him, and make the running the man did live forever.”
Thanks Jim, see ya in Parts Unknown.
Article By: Anthony Schiano
